My travel doctor is really pushing the japanese encephalitis vaccination but I don't think we really need this vaccination due to the timing, length and location of our holiday. What do others think? We will be in India for 3 weeks Dec 19- Jan 8 and in the areas of rajansthan, golden triangle, varansai, Khajuraho.

Of course you most likely should follow your drs. orders, but we just picked up our meds for the same area today. We needed to update our typhoid, but they told us Japanese encephalitis was not necessary since we are not headed to Southern India this trip. You might want to check the CDC.

We were prescribed Malaria as well. I didn't think it was necessary since we are going in winter months, but in checking on the CDC website, it is indeed recommended. We are staying in several remote areas including a couple of National Parks for birdwatching and none are over 6500', which is the elevation needed to skip Malaria meds. Also most likely will be out when mosquitos are present. I really trust my travel clinic that I have used for decades and always follow their recommendations.

Well, Varansi has had numerous outbreaks over the years. The risks are low that you will catch it, but considering 2/3 of those who do catch it either die or have permanent physical damage, convinced me to have the vaccination.

I do depend on good mosquito repellent to avoid all the other mossie borne diseases as well.

Our travel doc said we didn't need Japanese encephalitis vaccinations either, so we didn't get them. But a young friend who is in Delhi right now e-mailed me that she's seen a few mosquitoes around lately. We have repellent and nets for over the beds if we need them.

Here is an article about an outbreak in 2005 that describes the local terrain that contributed to the epidemic:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no09/06-0200.htm

Japanese Encephalitis is seasonal and dependent on when the mosquitoes that carry the disease are prevalent. You can good the CDC Yellow Book and look for your specific destination. I am heading to SE Asia in December and have opted out of them since 'The Season' for it ends in October (evidently follows the rainy season).

If you are going to get the vaccine, you had better hurry. This is what the "Yellow Book" says about it (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbo...halitis.aspx):


Vaccine Dose and Administration

For travelers ≥3 years of age, the recommended primary immunization series for JE-VAX is three doses of 1.0 mL each, administered subcutaneously on days 0, 7, and 30.

An abbreviated schedule (days 0, 7, and 14) provides similar rates of seroconversion but significantly lower neutralizing antibody titers.

Vaccine recipients should be observed for a minimum of 30 minutes after immunization and warned about the possibility of delayed allergic reactions.

The last dose should be administered at least 10 days before beginning travel to ensure an adequate immune response and access to medical care in the event of any delayed adverse reactions.


So you have already missed the "recommended" window, and your deadline for the "abbreviated" window is this week! November 25 is 24 days before December 19, but if you leave December 18 that pushes it back to November 24. Several years ago I was told by a travel clinic that they absolutely would not start the vaccine regimen less than the CDC-recommended interval before travel began.